Independence
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Thomas has had enough of Rosie's annoyance and the Fat Controller sends her to the Brendam line. Can she find her own identity? (Note: This isn't a ThomasxRosie thing. I don't do those.)


Rosie is a pink tank engine who works at various yards across the Island of Sodor.

She looks up to Thomas and tries to copy everything he does, but this often annoyed Thomas.

"Why can't she go somewhere else and stop bothering me?" he complained to the others.

"I say, this little pink one does sound rather annoying." said Daisy smugly.

"I'm sure she means well," replied Toby.

"She doesn't have to follow me around like a little sister though..." grumbled Thomas.

One day, Thomas was at Knapford Station pulling passengers when Rosie chuffed alongside.

"Hello Thomas!" she whistled, "Where are you going?"

"To Ffarquhar, why?"

"Can I be your back engine?" Rosie asked hopefully.

"I don't need a back engine! I can take my two coaches just fine!"

The guard's whistle blew and Thomas bustled away.

Rosie was upset.

Toby and Henrietta were watching from the the other platform.

"Oh dear..." said Toby to himself as he puffed away.

Later, Toby was talking to Rosie in the yard.

"I know it may be harsh how Thomas is treating you, but you can't follow him around when you have work to do," explained Toby.

"But he's my role model! He's brave, smart, optimistic... I wish I could be like that."

"You're your own engine," smiled Toby, "You'll find your own path someday."

But Rosie wasn't so sure.

An hour later, Rosie was taking some milk tankers to the Docks.

The tankers were being troublesome.

"Hold back! Hold back!" screamed the tankers.

Rosie struggled for a few kilometers, then finally gave up at Suddery.

"Oh, my wheels..." Rosie groaned.

"We'll have to get help; we can't pull this train on our own with these stupid tankers." said Rosie's driver.

"Ha ha!" laughed the tankers.

"Oh, shut up."

At Brendam Docks, Thomas was shunting trucks alongside Salty.

"It's nice to get some sea breeze," Thomas commented.

"Yes indeed me hearty. I'm so glad to work here beside the sea."

Suddenly Thomas' driver's cell phone rang.

"Hold on," he said to the fireman and answered his phone.

"Rosie's in trouble? We'll be right over there."

Thomas was not pleased, but he puffed away to the rescue.

"Bother that Rosie," he grumbled.

At Suddery, Bill and Ben were trying to get past Rosie.

"Come on pipsqueak, get moving!" cried Bill.

"I can't!" wailed Rosie just as Thomas puffed in.

"I'll get you to the Docks..." he grumbled.

"Thanks Thomas."

Thomas snorted.

"About time..." said Ben.

At the Ffarquhar Sheds that night, the Fat Controller spoke to Thomas.

"Well done Thomas, you helped one of my engines once again."

Thomas grinned.

"Thank you sir."

The Fat Controller then turned to Rosie.

"I'm sorry sir, it's just that-"

"I understand Rosie, but I'm beginning to think this branch line isn't the right place for you." said the Fat Controller.

"W-what?"

"She follows Thomas around sir," interrupted Percy.

"I know, and that's why I'm moving her to the Wellsworth Branch." said the Fat Controller.

"What?! But Thomas is my role model!" cried Rosie.

"No I'm not, and go away!" shouted Thomas.

"Thomas, that will do," scolded the Fat Controller, "Now Rosie, you will work at the Clay Pits with Bill and Ben."

Rosie was upset as she slept that night.

Early the next morning, Rosie left the sheds and puffed along the Main Line.

"Well, this day won't end well," sighed Rosie.

"It's alright Rosie," soothed her driver, "All engines have to switch workplaces sometimes."

"I know," said Rosie unhappily.

Soon she arrived at Wellsworth.

Edward was there with a passenger run.

"Hello there Rosie," smiled Edward kindly, "I'm guessing you're here to help with the Clay Pits."

"Yes," replied Rosie.

"Well, watch out for the twins' tricks. They can take a lot out of you," reminded Edward.

Rosie understood and puffed on to the Clay Pits.

At the China Clay Works, Bill and Ben were shunting trucks for a train for Rosie to take to Brendam.

"Oh, hello Pinkie," joked Bill as Rosie arrived.

"Pinkie and no brain! Ha, that's a good one!" laughed Ben.

"That's not very nice," scolded Rosie.

"Oh, what, is the little lady afraid of joking around?" laughed Bill.

Rosie was furious and bumped Bill into some buffers.

"Hey, watch it!" cried Bill.

The manager was not pleased as he arrived to greet her.

"I expected more of you Rosie," he scolded, "I hope you do better with your train to the Docks."

"Yes sir, sorry sir," apologized Rosie.

She buffered up to the trucks and set off.

As Rosie made her way along the track, she felt empty inside.

"I just feel like I don't belong anywhere, and it's never my fault." she groaned to her driver.

"It could be worse," sighed the driver.

"How?" cried Rosie in despair.

"Well, Cranky could drop some crates on you when you get to the Docks."

"I suppose so," said Rosie.

She passed Suddery and soon made it to the Docks.

Salty and Porter were shunting for Cranky.

"Hey, you! The pink one!" scowled Cranky, "Get over here with your China Clay!"

"Of course," said Rosie and she puffed over to him.

They unloaded the China Clay and Rosie puffed back to the China Clay Works.

At Wellsworth Sheds that night, Rosie was talking to the other engines.

"I just don't know, Edward. I just don't know what kind of engine I am."

"You'll find yourself one day," smiled Edward.

"That's what Toby told me..." sighed Rosie.

"You're homesick, aren't you?" asked BoCo.

"Yes, I'm afraid... I hope I find myself though, like you said."

"If you find yourself, send us a postcard," laughed Ben.

"Just be quiet, the two of you," said Edward crossly.

Bill and Ben behaved after that.

Rosie was impressed.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Just a gift I guess," chuckled Edward.

The next day, it was raining heavily.

Part of the China Clay Works was closed off due to precautions.

"The last thing we need is to be buried in clay," the foreman explained.

"We'll have to be careful," said Marion, "One wrong dig and the whole pits will come crashing down. It also depends on how you dig. Like, if you dig in that specific spot in that specific corner. The manner-"

"Oh, shut up," cried Ben.

Marion looked hurt.

"But it's digging! You can't say digging is bad!" "We can say it's boring, that's for surel," grumped Bill and the twins puffed away.

"Sorry about that," apologized Rosie.

"Oh, it's fine, they're just little rascals. Oh dear, this is embarrassing, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Marion and you're... Rosie?"

"Yes."

"Oh, of course and that obviously means that-"

"Clear the pits! A landslide's coming! Clear the area now!" shouted a workman as he ran by.

"What? Oh no, we better get out of here!" cried Timothy.

Marion, Timothy, and the men quickly scurried out of the clay pits, but Rosie was worried.

"Where are Bill and Ben?!" she asked her crew.

"I don't know, but we best find them." said her driver.

"Right!" and Rosie puffed backwards.

Meanwhile, deeper in the pits, Bill and Ben were waiting for their trucks to be filled when suddenly Bill's driver leaned out of the cab and shouted,

"We're nearly out of water!"

"I thought it was your job to check the water gauge." grumbled the fireman.

"Uh..."

Just then, they heard a loud rumbling sound.

"Uh oh... That's bad." said Bill.

"We have no more water!" cried Ben's driver.

"And who's fault is that?" asked Ben.

Rosie puffed in.

"Rosie! Thank goodness!" said Bill. "Come on, lets get you two out of here. There's a landslide coming!" said Rosie as she was coupled up.

She puffed forwards as fast as her wheels would let her.

Rocks started piling up on the tracks as the landslide came closer and closer to the brakevan.

"Faster!" yelled the guard.

Rosie pumped her pistons as she raced out of the China Clay Works.

They soon arrived at Suddery, where Edward, Marion, and Timothy were waiting.

"Thank goodness you're all alright," said Edward.

"Well done!" agreed Timothy.

The Fat Controller was especially pleased.

"Well done Rosie! You proved yourself to be an Enterprising Engine to my fleet!"

"See? You didn't need to be in Thomas' shadow after all. You are your own engine." said Edward, and Rosie knew he was right; she was her own engine, and while she would always look up to Thomas, she learned that two engines are completely different.


End file.
